“Li Dage……”  She noticed that his actions were getting bolder and he was getting out of control.   De Xue began to feel ashamed and afraid.  Her cat-like green eyes were shimmering with light.

“Xiao Xue!……”  He could feel her panic and withdrawal.  He Mu Li struggled with his thoughts, thinking that only today they had confessed their feelings for each other and it was really progressing too fast.  He forced himself to release the beauty in his arms and panted heavily.

“Li Dage, are you alright?”  She asked with concern.  She could see that he seemed to be in pain.

“I’m fine, Xiao Xue…...”  He reached out his hand and stroked her head to calm her.

When the thought they had to settle this matter with De Ruo Qing before they could be married crossed his mind, he seriously pondered over it.   For the sake of their future happiness, should he make the kitten his woman first?   When the time comes, De Ruo Qing would not be able to separate them!

The more he thought about the idea, the more feasible it seemed.

His dark eyes suddenly met her clear eyes.  Looking into her emerald green eyes, He Mu Li’s heart softened.  Of course, he must carefully and gently lead her along.  His kitten truly deserves his love.

She was unaware that the Eagle was planning for her capture.  

After the Housekeeper reported that the smelting courtyard was ready, every morning after breakfast, De Xue would bring along her young maid* who was appointed to serve her, to prepare the courtyard for the repair of ‘Hurricane’.

(In olden days, the children from poor families either work in the fields or sold to rich families.  It was common to sell children especially girls who were as young as seven years old to work as servants in the kitchens and gardens of rich households.  If they were smart, sometimes they would be trained as a lady’s maid.  Being sold to a household would always be better than being sold into brothels.)

In the smelting courtyard, He Mu Li had also arranged for an overseer, several guards and servants to assist her. 

The materials she needed had been sent to the smelting courtyard, so she quickly started to carry out her preparation work according as planned.  Under her careful supervision, with just a few days of work, the stove in the smelting courtyard was set up.

However, He Mu’s repeated orders were that she was not allowed to use other guards or servants to start work on repairing the sword.  So after all the preparation for repairing the sword was ready, she still had to wait for her extremely busy Great Assistant to come before they could officially start work.

While she waited for him, De Xue told everyone to leave the smelting courtyard and she stayed back alone to concentrate on studying ‘Hurricane.”

Today, very early in the morning after He Mu Li had finished practicing with his sword, he had handed it to her.  But because the sword was extremely heavy, in the end, she had to instruct two young male servants to move the sword and place it in the smelting courtyard. 

De Xue put the sword on the sword frame that she had requested to be specially made.  She held a small copper hammer in her hand and knocked around the sword blade.  She listened with her head tilted to one side and left some white powder on the blade to mark the sword at different spots. 

This was the sight that greeted He Mu Li when he entered the smelting courtyard.  Today, his kitten is wearing a neat lake-blue narrow sleeved dress.  An apron was tied around her waist and she did not wear any accessories on her hair which was just knotted into a bun.  Perhaps she was afraid that her hair would get in the way when she is doing the repairs and she had tied up her hair with a lake-blue scarf.

In order to maintain the stability of the charcoal fire, she had instructed the young manservants and guards to ignite the fire in the stove.  She had chosen the special Kuzhou charcoal that could ignite easily and burn steadily and had arranged for baskets of the charcoal to be stacked against the wall for use later.

He Mu Li looked at her staring intently at ‘Hurricane’ with a delicate blush on her face as a drop of sweat slipped down her cheek.

In Haizhou, even in the early autumn season, the weather was still very hot before sunset.  When He Mu Li saw her in this condition, his heart suddenly ached.

“It is so hot in here, why didn’t you wait for me in Ya Feng Pavilion first, instead of staying here?  What if you get sick because of the heat?” 

Suddenly hearing his voice, De Xue was startled.  Her body swayed and she stepped back, falling into the arms of He Mu Li who had quickly moved forward to support her.

“Did I give you a fright?”  He asked quickly.

“Oh……it’s you, Li Dage!  I’m fine.  I was too focused so I didn’t notice anyone coming in.  That’s why I was shocked by your voice.”  She explained with a smile.

“Xiao Xue, didn’t I tell you that I will only be back in the afternoon?  But I heard the servants say you have shut yourself here since in the morning.  It is so hot, how can your body be able to stand it?”  He Mu Li knotted his eyebrows with an expression of disapproval on his face.

“I am not so fragile and if I’m afraid of the heat, how can I be a swordsmith?  You don’t have to worry, I am really alright.  Don’t underestimate me, you can rest assured that my body is very healthy.”  De Xue comforted the man who was getting more and more controlling.

Rest assured?  How can he not worry?  He Mu Li looked at her and could only shake his head in disagreement.

“I am really curious.  Why did you become a Forge Master?  Did your Father force you?”  He could not help but ask.

Before this, he did not think much of De Xue’s work as a swordsmith but now having seen her working conditions near the stove, his heart ached.  De Ruo Qing is really cruel to let his daughter work in such harsh conditions.

Hearing the dissatisfaction in his voice, De Xue looked at him with amazement and when she realized it was because of his love for her, she could not help but smile.

“Don’t make false accusations against my Father.  No one forced me to do this.  It was because I like doing this.  Since as a child, I watched my Father smelting weapons and saw the blue and green lights emitting brilliantly as he worked.  The lights were very beautiful and I couldn’t get tired of them.  Slowly, I also wanted to make those beautiful weapons, so I pestered my Father to teach me.”  She recalled those times as she told him of her past.

“Doesn’t your Father feel bad about letting you do such hard work?”  He Mu Li’s tone was still not happy.

When she heard, she could not help but laugh.  Then she explained.  “At first, my Father did not agree but he loves me very much and when he saw that I was really interested, in the end, he let me do what I wanted.  Um…….you are really strange.  If I am not a Forge Master, how will you be able to find me?  Now, are you complaining that I like to refine weapons?

“I……”  He Mu Li was suddenly speechless.

In fact, if she is not a famous Forge Master and he was looking for someone to repair ‘Hurricane’ he would not look for her.  Speaking of this, he should thank De Rou Qing for not preventing his daughter from learning the art of smelting weapons and so both of them were able to meet.

“I am not complaining that you are refining weapons.  I am afraid the work is too exhausting for you.”  He sighed helplessly.

“Afraid I will be exhausted?  How can it be so serious?!  Li Dage, you are more exaggerated than my Father!”  De Xue protested but there was a sweet smile on her face.

“Why is this not serious?  Look, it is only one morning and you’re so hot that your whole face is red.”  He used his sleeve to wipe the light layer of sweat on her forehead and his voice was full of pity.

De Xue quickly lowered her head.  How can she explain that the reason she is blushing now is not that she feels hot but because of him?  Ah!.......This is too shameful!   It is better to let him continue to misunderstand.

“But you are still here, aren’t you?   You can rest assured that whatever you can do, I will definitely leave it to you.”  She smiled and made it clear she would be acting shamelessly.

“I really hope I can do everything myself.  It is very hot inside here.  I think it is better for you to stay cool outside the smelting courtyard.  Whatever you want to do, just let me know first or else, you can write it down and let me know what to do.  After I have finished, I will show it to you.”

Although he had thought that they could develop their feelings further as they repair ‘Hurricane’ together in the smelting courtyard but when he saw the working environment, he would rather she gives instructions from the outside.

“How can repairs be carried out in this way?!  Li Dage, do you really think ‘Hurricane’ can be repaired in this way?”  De Xue felt a little helpless.  This man is really overbearing and she is at her wit’s end.

“Why not?  Are you not an excellent Forge Master?”  He teased her.

“No matter how excellent a Forge Master I am……there is no way I can refine weapons by just talking.  If I am not watching constantly by the fire and controlling the situation, your Family’s precious sword will be destroyed.”  She frowned as her crystal eyes squinted at him.

Seeing her cute look as she pouted her lips, He Mu Li reached out his hand to pinch her pretty nose.

“I had always wanted to ask you.  In the past few years, you have set up a smelter workplace away from home and were all alone by yourself without your family, did you feel sad?”   When he thought of her, a little girl wandering alone outside for three years all alone by herself, he felt sad for her but on the contrary, De Rou Qing was not worried for her.  If she is his own daughter, he would have long ago tied her up and brought her home and would not allow her to wander outside for such a long time.

But He Mu Li thought again.  If it wasn’t for De Ruo Qing’s heartlessness, how would he be able to meet his kitten?   In a way, it seems he had actually benefited. 

“Why should I feel sad?  Just like what my Father says...... a person with skills will have skills.  Working as a Forge Master, I am able to support myself.  I have food to eat, I have clothes to wear, I have a house to stay in and I can have fun.  If it was not for……..”

De Xue threw him a glance.   If it was not for an overbearing General who had kidnapped her to this place, she would still be in Dengzhou living an easy carefree life.  However, she also thought that if she was not kidnapped by him, she would not be able to meet him and they would not be able to fall in love.  Alright, this episode would be ignored in the future.

When He Mu Li heard her words, he was speechless.  The person who had bullied her was actually him!   He grasped her little hand with a guilty conscience and tried to placate her.

However, although De Ruo Qing’s words were not wrong……a person with skills would still have skills anywhere she goes but what De Xue did not know was that all these years, her Father had secretly protected her which enabled her to lead a carefree and easy life as a Forge Master.

He Mu Li could not help but think from De Ruo Qing’s standpoint.  De Rou Qing should hate him very much because he had snatched his precious daughter away.  But although he thought in such a way, he did not feel any guilt in his heart at all.  

A daughter who is grown up eventually has to marry someone!